Overview
- The state meeting is set for October 26 in Belagavi and will be chaired by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar with sugar mill owners and growers present; Union Minister Prahlad Joshi will not attend and has asked the state to proceed first.
- North Karnataka farmers paused their week-long ‘Hubballi Chalo’ protest after talks and have given the Centre and state until November 26 to meet demands that include a Rs 5,500 per tonne cane price and higher minimum sugar rates.
- Shivakumar has pressed the Centre for help on severe water shortages in the Cauvery and Tungabhadra basins, assigned officer teams to study relief needs, and sought meetings in Delhi with several Union ministers and the Prime Minister.
- Officials are investigating two Dussehra incidents: an elephant panic in Shivamogga that damaged vehicles but caused no casualties, and reported stopping of Dalit ministers during a puja, with the Chief Secretary ordered to review video footage.
- The dispute builds on longer-term tensions over statutory cane pricing, ethanol procurement and river projects such as Mahadayi and Mekedatu, and failure to resolve the talks could trigger renewed protests and sharper demands on central policy decisions.